Trap.



E. G. MoGUE.

TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED APR.8, 1911.

1,063,71 5. Patented June 3, 1913.

2 SHEBTSSHEBT 1.

WIT/V S858: {NVENTOR P. 1'I.6.M [ue, BY

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINGTON. u c,

E. G. MGGUE.

TRAP.

APPLICATION ITLED APR 8, 1911.

I INVENTOR.

E-// u&, 1/!

WITNESSES ATTORNEYJ,

npLUMBlA .PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D. c.

U El) s'rarns Parana TRAP.

means.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentetlJuneg,19,1 3.

ToyoZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDWARD iGEORGE MOCUE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Sharpsburg, in the countyof Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Traps, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to traps particularly designed for exterminating rats and other rodentsby utilizingan electric current.

My 'inventionaims to provide a trap that can besafely usedfor electrocuting rats entering the trap, the trap being provided with a rotary conveyer adapted to be actuated by the weight of a .body of a rat to discharge the body into .a suitable receptacle, which is subjected to a disinfectant or deodorant to preventthe bodies of the rats-from being detected by live rats or producing anodor in a building, before the bodies of the rats are removed. To this end, I have devised an electric trap'that. can be advantageously used in large warehouses, other buildings and wharzves,.the trap being constructed whereby it can be used intconnection' with the ordinary electric lighting current of a building. It isdesigned upon lines of simplicity, durability and of such construction that it will meet withithe approval of the Board of Insurance Underwriters.

The invention will be hereinafter specificallyidescribed andthen claimed, and reference will now be hadvtothe drawings, where in like vnumerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several adaptedtoengage underaprojectionQti at views, in which Figure l is acentral vertical longitudinal sectional view ofthe trap. Fig.2 1s a vertlvcal cross .sectlonal view ofthe same. Fig. 3

is a horizontal sectional view of the trap taken on the line 3--8 of Flg. 1. ,Fig. 4 is a perspective view ofa portion of the trap casing. F g. 5 1s.an enlarged sectional view of; a portion of the trap, and Fig. 6 is a dia 7 whereby they can be easily removed froln the housing 1 ,The drawer 6iisradapted to;

contain a disinfectant or deodorant and the f ames ,or gases :from these detergents .are adapted to ,pass through openings or perforations 87in the bottom of the drawer 5. gT-he top of thevhousing l isreducedand .proyided with an opening; 9 and normally .closing said openingisla .trap door :10 adapted to swing downwardly, said trap door being h nged at one edge of the opening 9 and normally retained in .a. closed orihorizontal positionby a springll.

In ,communication v,withathe opening .9 is a chute .12 and supported .by the upperend of sa d chute is a cylindrical casing 1301f a widthvcorresponding to said chute. The side wallsof the casing l3 areprovidedwith concentric aperturedbosses or bearings 14, and .revolubly mountedin said bosses or bearings 1s .a ,shaft 15. -Mounted EUpon the shaft is ..a hub :16 having the ends thereofprovided ,Wlth large disks 17. Arranged between the disks-l7 are a plurality,ofrradially disposed vpockets l8 in communication with I sockets 19 inthe hub 16, these sockets serving function- .ally as bait holders. {lhe pockets .18 vvare preferably formed "by sheets of metal arranged ,between the disks 1'? and upon the hub 16. r'llheiouterends of the pockets 18 are adapted to register with a runway or open ng 20 0f the casing;l3 and directlyibeneath said runway is .a casing 21. at the casing 21 are arranged a,bracket 22 and a magnet 23. The casing 13 i is 1 provided with an opening Qiestablishing a communication between thepasings 13 and 21. Secured to thelcasing l3-atthe loweriedge of theopenmgQdis a resilient-catch or armature 25 the outerend ofeach ofthe pockets 18.

"The bottom of each of the pockets l8is 7 provided with a, plate of insulation27 and arranged upon said plate isia contact plate .28,anda pivoted contactiplate-29,,said plates .28 andl29=beinginsulated from each other, the latter being normally maintained in an elevated position by a flat spring 30 secured to the underside of the plate 29and engagmgthe plate 27. .The disks 17, below each pocket, are connected by a transverse bar 31 and eachbar is provided with four ,contacts 32,33, 34 and 35 insulated from the bar-31,,as at36 tlheicontacts 32cand 35 are adaptedtoengagecontact Strips 37 and 38 respectively andthe contacts 33 and 34: are adapted to engage ,contactrstrips 39 and 40 respectively. The contact strips 37 and 38 are of a greater length than the contact strips 39 and 40 for a purpose that will hereinafter appear, and these strips are carried by the inner side of the casing 13, adjacent to the opening 24. The contact strip 37 is provided with a binding post 41 connected to a wire 42 from a suitable source of electrical energy. The contact strip 38 has a binding post 43 connected by a wire 44 to the same source of electrical energy. The contact strips 39 and 40 have binding posts 45 connected by wires 46 to the magnet 23. The contact plate 28 of each pocket is connected by a wire 47 to the contact 35, and by a wire 48 to the contact 34. The pivoted contact plate 29 is adapted to complete a circuit between contact blocks 49 and 50 connected by Wires 51 and 52 respectively to the contacts 33 and 32.

In operation, the catch or armature 25 normally holds one of the pockets 18 in communication with the opening or runway 20, whereby a rat or other rodent can enter the pocket. As will be seen by reference to Fig. 6, there are practically two circuits provided from the source of electrical supply, both circuits being controlled by the movement or" the contact plate 29 into contact with the contacts 49 and 50. While'these two circuits are provided and are controlled by the position of the plate 29, the lead wires 42 and 44, contact strips 37 and 38, contacts 32 and 35, and lead wires 47 and 52 are common in both circuits, as will be clear from the following :\Vhen the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1, with the plate 29 raised, the entire connection with the source of electrical supply is broken and neither circuit is in operation. The entrance of a rat into the pocket in attempting to reach the bait, causes the plate 29 to be depressed, thus bringing said plate into circuit with the source of electrical energy, this closing of the circuit energizing the magnet 23 through the wire 42, contact strip 37, contact 32, wire 52, plate 29, wire 51, contact 33, contact strip 39 to the magnet 23 and returning through contact strip 40, contact 34, wire 48, plate 28, wire 47, contact 35, contact strip 38 and wire 44, thus providing a metallic circuit which acts to energize the magnet and withdraw the trip provided by the armature, releasing the rotatable conveyor and permitting the weight of the rat to turn the conveyer. This circuit forms the tripping circuit and remains active as long as the contacts 33 and 34 are in contact with the contact strips 39 and 40 (it being understood that plate 29 remains depressed). lnasmuch as the cont-act strips 39 and 40 are of less length than the strips 37 and 38, it will be readily understood that the rotation of the conveyer will break this tripping circuit by carrying the contacts 33 and 34. out of contact with their respective strips without, however, afi ccting the connections between the plates 28 and 29 and the source of electric energy, the contacts 32 and 35 still being in, contact with their respective strips. its a result, that portion of the tripping circuit between the plates 28 and 29 and the magnet 23 becomes inactive, leaving the plates 28 and 29 to operate as the terminals of an clcctrocuting circuit, these terminals being bridged by the rat. From the above, it will be understood that the tripping circuit, being metallic and oil'cring less resistance than the rat, will practically short circuit the clcctrocuting circuit as long as the contacts 33 and 34 are in contact with their respective strips, holding the electrocuting circuit inactive until the conveyer has llltll'Otl a distance corresponding to the length at the shin s 89 and 40, and this distance practically closes the inlet end of the pocket, so that the electrocution takes place in a closed portion of the apparatus and while the conveycr is moving. There is a iiarticular advantage in this arrangement, in that there is a certainty that the apparatus will be tripped, since the rat is'not affected by the current until after such tripping operation is con'iplctcd, hence the movements of the rat within the pocketwhen the conveyor begins its movement will not have the effect of positioning the rat at a point where he would not bridge the terminals, the frightening of the rat tending to provide with greater certainty the movcments which would bridge the terminals. Furthermore, it is not necessary that this bridging take place for the purpose of tripping the apparatus, the tripping circuit being completed by the depressing of the plate 29 regardless of any contact of the rat with plate 28. lVhcn the tripping circuit. is broken by the movement of the conveyor, the armature is released thereby permitting the catch 25 to resume. its normal position and stop the rotation of the conveyor. As the rats body slides from the pocket into the chute 12, the pivoted contact plate 29 is restored to its normal position and the trap is in condition to catch another rat. \Vhen the rats body encounters the trap door 10, said door is opened to deposit the body in the drawer or receptacle 5, the trap door immediately closing to prevent, as nearly as possible, any odors from passing upwardly through the chute 12.

From the foregoing it will be observed that T have devised a. trap for catching and extcrminating rats as fast as thcy enter the same, the rat bodies being removed in a sanitary manner whereby other rodents cannot detect the presence of the bodies, also rendering it unnecessary for the bodies to be touched by hand. The electric circuits are automatically cut in and cut out, consequently the current is not used except during the extermination of a rodent.

The trap in its entirety can be made of light and durable material, suitable insulations used, and the trap installed whereby a rat or other rodent can easily enter the opening or runway 20.

While in the drawings there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements thereof are susceptible to such changes as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. In an electric trap, a rotatable conveyer having a pocket, a stationary runway, at stop for normally positioning the conveyer with the pocket in substantial alinement with the runway, a source of electrical energy, a shiftable and a stationary plate carried by said pocket, one of said plates connected to one side of said source, means adapted to be engaged by said shiftable plate when the latter is shifted whereby said shiftable plate is electrically connected to the other side of said source and in connection with said stationary plate forming an electrocuting circuit, means for shifting said stop to release said conveyer, electrical connections connected with said means and adapted to be electrically connected with said plates for forming a circuit to actuate said means to release the stop, and means for making the duration of activity of the circuit for operating the means to release the stop less than the length of activity of the electrocuting circuit.

2. In an electric trap, a rotatable conveyer having a pocket, a stationary runway, a stop for normally positioning the conveyer with the pocket in substantial alinement with the runway, a source of electrical energy, a shiftable and a stationary plate carried by said pocket, one of said plates connected to one side of said source, means adapted to be engaged by said shiftable plate when the latter is shifted whereby said shiftable plate is electrically connected to the other side of said source and in connection with said stationary plate forming an electrocuting circuit, means for shifting said stop to release said conveyer, electrical connections connected with said means and adapted to be electrically connected with said plate for forming a circuit to actuate said means to release the stop, means for making the duration of activity of the circuit for operating the means to release the stop less than the length of activity of the electrocuting circuit, and means whereby that circuit to actuate the means to release the stop will act to short circuit the electrocuting circuit during the period of activity of the tripping circuit.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD GEORGE MCGUE.

Witnesses:

' MAX H. SRoLovI'rz,

CHRISTINA T. HooD.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. C. 

